Gosh, I'm terrible at this...

It's not that I haven't been online. I just haven't had the desire to share the minutia of our days, I guess.
So, as of today, I am 35 weeks 4 days pregnant with little Declan True. I'm feeling great overall. My hips are starting to hurt while I sleep and my back only if I sit to long. And I'm getting tired earlier and earlier in the evenings. But still, nothing to complain about. :o)
Milo turned 7 on Sept 13th!

He' doing fantastic with school. Honestly, Calvert's 1st grade is a little too easy for him. But I'm pressing on and just adding a page of copy work and a math worksheet to each day and letting him read through his included Reading text books as fast as he wants and he hasn't gotten bored so far.
Autry has been asking to take his training wheels off his bike pretty much since he got the bike for his 5th bday in June. But I was the one dragging my feet about it. I finally consented and the boy was riding perfectly the first day. None of that running behind them holding the seat for balance stuff. Silly Mama. He did run into and knock off a neighbors mailbox, though. :o/ lol (we fixed it, btw.)

He is also doing fantastic in school and loves all the hands on activities. My only struggle is figuring out what to turn in as a work sample for Social Studies. ?? The Calvert is a literature based curric versus last years history based WinterPromise. So, that's where I'm having to supplement for him.

Finlay is just fantastic. He is so sweet and sensitive and empathetic and curious and I can't take his cuteness. It's just overwhelming. I just want to eat him. We do alot of snuggling, reading, tickling and imaginative play like knights and super heroes.
These great photos were a gift from my bestie, Delane, who came down to visit and take some maternity photos with her new camera.

Thank you, Delane!!
My baby shower is next weekend and I can't wait to get together with all my friends and family and have fun. :o)
Matthew is going back to Indiana next week on Oct 3rd! It's been way to long since he's been there so, I'm so happy he's able to go.

Recipe for preserving a husband

I saw this in a christian moms forum I belong to. A lady spotted this in the Jams/Jellies section of her new Amish cookbook. lol

Be careful of your selection. Do not choose too young. When once selected, give entire thought to preparation to domestic use. Some insist on keeping them in a pickle, others constantly getting them in hot water. This makes them sour, hard and sometimes bitter. Even in poor varieties may be made sweet, tender and good by garnishing them with patience, well sweetened with love and seasoned with kisses. Wrap them in a mantle of charity, keep warm with a steady fire of domestic devotion, and serve with peaches and cream. Thus prepared, they will keep for years.

Tuesday with Papa

We got up early (for us anyway) and got ready real quick to go out to breakfast. And Daddy let Alvin drive.

I figured we'd go to this little local mom and pop cafe we found recently but Matthew had much grander plans for our day. We headed down to Hillcrest for some Hash House A Go Go "twisted farm food."

This is a pic of what I COULDN'T finish if my life depended on it, but delicious Biscuits and Gravy.
Then since we over fed the meter we walked down to Buffalo Exchange and I scored two new tank tops on the cheap.But then we had to practically run back to the car to make it back in time. lol
After getting all loaded up in the car again, Matthew says, "Let's go see your dad at work." :o) Now, for those of you who don't know him, my Dad works for the Navy on North Island. I haven't been on base in forever and the kids hadn't ever gone. So, he called up my Dad to see if we could swing by and 20 minutes later we began the tour. We started in my Dad's shop where they build/ load with explosives the ejection seats for the jets. Then we got to walk through the hangar where they rebuild to perfection the jets that need love. After that we got to visit the airplane graveyard and hangar where volunteers restore to mint (though not operational) condition for the Aerospace museum. They were working on a WWII fighter plane that had been sunk in Lake Michigan for the last 50 years and was just pulled up. It was incredible to see and talk to these men who were so knowledgeable. But the best was yet to come.
My Dad had made a call to a friend and all the boys got to sit in the "display bird," an F-18, on the flight line.

The boys were so excited and all agreed, "Papa's work is sooo much cooler than Nana's work!" No offense Nana. hahahaha
Then, per my request we stopped at Ikea for a few things and the big boys played in the kids playroom while we shopped. Poor Fin slept in the stroller the whole time.
Then Rancho's for supper. And a visit to Nana and Papa's house completed our day. It was such a wonderful day. Praise God!

Pure Beauty

Hey all, I am so excited and honored to be the first featured blogger in Amy Jean's Pure Beauty feature! I hope you'll head over there and check her out!

In the grind

Good grief. This past week has been a challenge. My bestie and I have been going through a rough patch lately and when we all hung out on the 4th it was awkward for various reasons. Then I've had a busy week with Matthew being home a lot more than usual, which seems like it should make things go more smoothly, but somehow it doesn't. And then i was a little crazy on friday trying to get the house ready to have Matthew's brother and his family over for dinner and hanging out that night. They brought up carne asada to grill and it was a really nice time. So, this morning, I realized that somehow the week had gotten away from me and I hadn't texted my bff and she hadn't texted me either, all week long. So, I sent her a quick note on fb apologizing for going mia and a shorter version of the above weeks play by play. She got back to me a little later and we kind of had another exchange, if you will, and now we both agree that it's time to work this out for real and get it behind us, whatever this is. Growing pains? I hate how it's been lately. I miss her. We're working on it. sigh....
On a happier note, I'm starting to notice a very slight tan developing on my legs. Woohoo! Now, honestly, it's not much to be proud of. And to most people here in SoCal, they're ghastly white but for me, it's quite the accomplishment. The garden is doing fantastic. My new broccoli sprouts have come up but still no sign of the new lettuce sprouts. I'm hopeful but not holding my breath. I'll keep you posted.
I still don't have an eta on my proposed chicken coop although My dad has said he'd bring up the wood a few times now. And we've gone to the feed store and checked out the chicks they have available and pricing and everything. But nothing set in stone. Again, you'll know as soon as I do. hahaha.... That's pretty much it, I think.
But now, I'm exhausted and I'm going to go veg on the couch with my Husband.
Good night all!

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Where was I?

Well, it's been a wild week. My kids and I have, obviously, been working through some stuff and the Lord is really stretching me although I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be learning yet. I know I need more patience. I know I need more wisdom. And I know I need to just let go and let God. But I also know that my husband and family can't wait for me to figure it all out first. So, what's a stressed out, overwhelmed Mama to do? Pray! SO that's where I'm at people. I'm praying. I don't have an answer for everything. (Surprising, I know.)

Meanwhile, I missed Wordy Wednesday. So, here you go:
This is more wisdom from "Praying the Scriptures for Your Children" by Jodie Berndt. Go buy it!

One of the best ways we can foster a love for God's Word is to encourage our kids to memorize Scripture. Young children, especially, have a seemingly limitless capacity for memorization -- a lesson I learned when Hillary, as a three-year-old, recited the entire peamble to the Beauty and the Beast story on video, word for word. For me, that did it: I figured that any child who could recite a Hollywood script could certainly learn a couple of Bible verses!

Let _______ keep Your words and store up Your commands so that he will live. Cause him to guard Your teachings as the apple of his eye, and let them be written on the tablet of his heart.
Proverbs 7:2-3

Buy it here: http://www.christianbook.com/praying-the-scriptures-for-your-children/jodie-berndt/9780310232162/pd/32166?kw=32166&en=froogle&p=1013824&cm_mmc=CBDfeeds-_-froogle-_-books-_-32166

I think I mentioned in my last post that I'd had to print some forms for Autry's enrollment in the charter school. Well, one of them was a physical form that had to be filled out by his pediatrician. That meant that he needed to go in Tuesday to have it filled out and do whatever was necessary to get ready for kindergarten. Well, that included a PPD test (tuberculosis) which requires bringing him back againfor them to "read" it on Friday. Fine, no big deal.
Then yesterday, Milo started showing some symptoms of another ear infection. Cough, sore ear, swollen glands and (gag) green drainage from his tear ducts. Not uncommon for My poor boy. So, that brought us to the dr's office again this morning to confirm it and get the meds. Could they "read" Autry's arm today. NOPE. Has to be a full 48 hours from the test. Thus, we'll be going back again tomorrow morning. Yay....

We were supposed to have a playdate with my best friend, Delane, Jayme, Rachel and a few other Mamas and the SWARM of kids that belong to us, respectively. lol But you know what they say about the best laid plans.... It just sorta fell apart. With my mental health vacation and my other friends just wanting to lay low today we just decided to push it till next Thursday.

What else can I tell you all??? Oh, I've been thinking about starting a cooking feature on here because I simply love to cook and then eat it. And I hear I'm not too shabby at it. The cooking, that is. hahaha
So, just to kick it off, here's what we're having tonight. Barbeque Ribs in the slow cooker with garlic mashed potatoes and cornbread. Here's a not very exciting pic of my homemade bbq sauce for the ribs. My house smells like Heaven, btw.

BBQ Sauce
Unrefined oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 C brown sugar, packed
1 C ketchup
1 tbsp hot pepper sauce, or to taste
2 small red onions, finely chopped
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 C cider vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder

In a skillet over medium heat, add oil and cook garlic and onions until softened and lightly browned. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer gently for 5 minutes and you're done! Easy peasy!
Now this is just enough for us. It won't be long before I'm doubling this. So, if you've got a bigger family or just big eaters, double it. Enjoy!

Geez louise

Do you ever have those days where nothing in particular goes wrong but just every little thing gets under your skin and no matter how aware you are of simply having a bad attitude you can't shake it? That was me today.
The day started out pretty normal for a shopping day; "what is left for breakfast?" No big deal, there was plenty to eat. Then I ran over to the charter school to meet with our new EF (educational facilitator) whom I adored. She's very chill but also very knowledgeable and organized. She's been facilitating with Dehesa for 8 years and has three boys. We talked about the curriculum we've been following this year and what's working or not working for us. She couldn't believe the level of Milo's reading, writing and math examples that I turned in. :o) And we talked about ordering the Calvert curriculum for both boys next year. Apparently, our former EF couldn't hang and not only didn't order curriculum for any of his assigned students but also just showed up at the office, dropped of his keys and said he quit. Nice.
I went next door to the Montessori side and asked if they could transfer Milo and Autry's registration forms over to the ISP side which, of course, was no problem. I had originally put both boys on the waiting list for the montessori program 2 days a week for next year but found out 2 months ago they won't be getting in until the following year. Oh well. Lame but not a huge bummer. I left this morning feeling pleased and accomplished.
After I got home we hung around and did lazy weekend things. Felafel for lunch. mmmm.... And later in the afternoon took off to run errands. This is where the story goes downhill. First was a stop at the Postal Annex to print out some forms still needed for Autry's enrollment and the boys did very well. Next we went to Target for a few things that TJ's just doesn't sell and the boys weren't specifically wild but they were bothersome. Mild wrestling, Fin wouldn't stay in the cart, begging for gum, knocking things off of shelves and the like. No tantrums, no fighting, yelling or crying. Just irritating.
Next was Jimbo's to try to find some superfood powders that I've never heard of before but are considered essential and instead of my current vitamin ritual per my Nourishing Traditions book (love love love. Thanks Rachel!)

Of course, I couldn't find them and was getting even more agitated by the vitamin counter people ignoring me as they listened to a forever long presentation by a Jason Lotion rep and the boys continued mildly crazy antics.
Finally, over to Trader Joe's we get everything, except 2 qts of whole raw milk (bummer,) and it even cost less than I was expecting, woohoo! However, when the boys pouted and refused the lollipops that were the only available prize for finding Arrrrmando it was so awkward and pretty embarrassing. Out to the car we go but by now I'm fuming. All the way home I cranked up the Smashing Pumpkins so that I couldn't hear their teasing and bickering. Then at home, it's past supper time so I'm rushing to get the cold stuff put away while cooking supper and keeping the kids at bay while Matthew did who knows what out back. The kids liked it but despite not being happy with how it came out myself I was pissed that Matthew didn't like it. After I got the kitchen cleaned up, all the kids in jammies, teeth brushed, stories read and in bed I was exhausted! But now that it's later and Matthew's working on free lance with Jamie at the Yellow Deli, I'm calm and can think back on how I let myself get so bent out of shape. Blah. It makes me sad. I feel like I wasted the afternoon being upset and rude to my kids and husband. I pray tomorrow is a better day from start to finish. Good night all!

Us!!!

I can count on one hand the number of photos, besides wedding photos, with both Matthew and I in them. Well, this beautiful photo was taken at our good friends Tyler & Stephanie's rehearsal dinner. Tyler's brother Ethan tagged us on facebook and now I'm bringing it to you all. Congratulations Tyler and Stephanie!

Such a sweet Man

My sweet husband just surprised me with an awesome Moleskine Gardening Journal! I had asked him for one a week ago because I want to keep track of everything and what does well (or doesn't) when to do what to each plant and what we truly end up using so that I know what to plant again, and when, next year. I love this man!

Good grief!

Sorry for going mia on ya! As most of you know, my husband is a graphic designer and by default, not a manual laborer. Well all of his hard work in the yard paid him back with a trip to the dr for some iv fluids for dehydration and an order to back off for awhile. After losing 16 lbs in a few days time, loss of appetite, head aches and lethargy he agreed he should probably give it a rest. So we took a few days off and had others like my parents, myself and our boys pick up the slack on Saturday. We got all the pipes covered and the patio beds dug out (yes, again! thanks a lot, excavator) and the whole yard as smooth as humanly possible.

Yesterday my sweet man rallied and built two of the new garden boxes for me and they came out great! They still need chicken wire stapled to the bottoms (dang gophers) but we still have time to do that.

And now today we have helpers again! Yay! Ramon, Emanuel and Mitch are back and Matthew hopes to have the irrigation completed, the fire pit is almost finished and dg should be moved from my driveway to the back patios this afternoon. Progress!

Oh...my....stars!

So, truth be told, I haven't seen my natural hair color in at least a decade. I've been a red head for the last 5 years with varying shades from a mild strawberry blonde to a bold bright auburn but never straying too far from the realm of natural shades. The most unnatural colors I've had were blue-black and black cherry but not really all that rebellious.
Well, I've long envied the women who were bold enough to color their hair WHATEVER color they want, regardless of the social consequence.
So I decided to take the leap but keep it in my comfort zone with a bold red.
I picked this up at Walmart yesterday:

It was a two step process so first I bleached:

Then I colored:

And obviously the results were less than accurate....
However, I'm taking it in stride (despite feeling a lot like a My Little Pony) and I've decided to rock it for awhile.

conlicted...

I really enjoy reading my friends' blogs! And it makes me wish I could write as well or gather my thoughts and experiences in a way that is both fun and heartfelt. Or even that I could simply remember to blog about it all.
But that's where it gets wonky for me.
I am constantly struggling with guilt about getting online. If I want to get online I HAVE to do it while the kids are awake. I'm always careful to keep my time to no more than 15 minutes and to always know what my kids are doing and so on. I wish it were simpler to get on after the kids are asleep but it's just not. Because by then Matthew's home and I'm busy cleaning up the supper mess and other tornado stricken rooms before collapsing on the couch to try and spend a few meaningful moments with my husband each night.
Another thing I admire about my friends blogs are how comfortable they seem to be with putting their lives out there for the world to see. I on the other hand, am very uncomfortable with it. I'm not used to people knowing so much about me. But I'm working on opening up to people and I'm hopeful that finally committing to this blog that I've had for years will help with that.
So check back often, there will likely be something new to read!

30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge

So I've decided to do this challenge because lets be real, I'm not always nice. My husband works soo hard to support our family and I am not always as supportive as I should be. So here's the deal:

Every day for 30 Days:
* You must say something positive or admirable about your husband, to your husband and at least one other person.
* You cannot say anything negative or critical about your husband to your husband or anyone else.

And hopefully this becomes a habit!

To sign up for the Challenge yourself go here:
http://www.reviveourhearts.com/challenge/husband-encouragement/


Day 1: After being gone for 3 days and hardly sleeping, my husband was totally bummed out that I asked my mom to have the boys spend the night so that he could sleep peacefully and late. Because he missed them so much. That melted my heart. So, I canceled to sleepover.

Day 2: Matthew is so smart with money and he makes it easy to keep our finances in order. This is not my strong suit and I so admire that it comes so easy to him. I never have to worry about bills getting paid or having enough for groceries or gas because he is so good at budgeting. What a blessing!

Hillsong United...

What an amazing night of worship and fellowship!!! Finlay came with us and slept almost the entire time.

Uuuummm....

I am feeling so "in the grind" right now that its hard to think. Not that Im not enjoying this phase in our life as a family. Because I do. I laugh with my children everyday. We paint family "portraits" and do mazes, puzzles, build block castles and read countless books each and every day. We tickle each other, even little Finlay, who has begun smiling and "goo"ing and gurgling. It's simply a dazed feeling when it's quiet in the house and I sit down tow quilt and be alone with my thoughts and prayers. I know it won't be this way for long and that makes me sad more than it makes me happy. Despite the endless questions and chatter and defiance and apologies and vinegar. I know that I will desperately miss this time that I have at home with all of my children around me. I pray that the Lord will help me to soak up all of these sweet times and discipline with love and tenderness.

Sledding and Cocoa

An annual tradition for our family. With the first snow falling on Mt. Laguna we just had to run up there and take advantage. We stopped in Julian, of course, and enjoyed the best they have to offer at The Julian Cafe. Then while driving up the mountain we watched the graceful snow falling all around us. It was impossible not to be taken aback by God's beautiful creation. Alone on the road, it seemed like it was just for us. Once at the top of the mountain there were, of course, many other sledders enjoying the snow. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to sled, so I was the photographer while all of my boys and Tyler and Hallie went crazy. We hope you all enjoy the photos and have an amazingly MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Autumn with the Bennetts

We have been having so much fun so far this fall! Among other things, the boys had a sleep over at Nana and Papa's while we took a trip to Julian on a blissfully blustery day. We meandered through a quaint bookshop, an art gallery, the Cider Mill and a dozen little shops while enjoying hot Julian apple cider. It was wonderful to get away on an extended date, just the two of us. Then, this morning we took the boys to Bates Nut Farm to pick out pumpkins. We had an awesome time and took lots of pictures. Matthew put all of them into two albums on his mobile me account and here is the link. Go check it out.
http://gallery.me.com/mbennett777